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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, right, greets former President Bill Clinton onstage. Clinton says getting banks onboard is key to clean energy investment.
By J. Patrick Coolican (contact) 
Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009 | 2 a.m.
In Today's Sun
Clinton visits UNLV
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Beyond the Sun
There was a lot of high-minded, and no doubt important, policy discussion at the Clean Energy Summit at UNLV.
But make no mistake, Monday’s event was about politics.
It was about driving energy legislation in the Senate this fall, and more narrowly, about the 2010 reelection of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who faces sagging poll numbers here at home.
On display was a Democratic Party with a mastery of political organization and slickly produced theater that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. There were famous names, smooth sound bites and an appreciative, well-behaved crowd.
The conference was put on by the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank that didn’t exist until 2003. Founded by Clinton White House Chief of Staff John Podesta, CAP, as it is known, has become indispensable to the Democrats, much as the Heritage Foundation was at one time for Republicans — providing ideas and attacks, intellectual heft and policy talent.
The event was swarming with busy BlackBerry hands, the young Democratic operatives who are now the party’s key players.
Then there were the big names who as recently as 2004 were more or less on the sidelines: former Vice President Al Gore and former President Bill Clinton.
Ret. Gen. Wesley Clark, center, co-chairman of Growth Energy, speaks during a roundtable discussion at the National Clean Energy Summit 2.0 at UNLV on Monday. Rose McKinney James of the Energy Foundation Board listens at left.
Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa speaks during a roundtable at the National Clean Energy Summit 2.0 in Las Vegas. Listening at left is Nevada State Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford.
Energy executive T. Boone Pickens, left, speaks during a roundtable discussion at the National Clean Energy Summit 2.0 at UNLV Monday. At right is Van Jones, a special adviser for the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
That was just the top billing, however. With the Obama administration never missing a chance to win a local news cycle, the White House sent Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis to provide early sound bites. Retired Gen. Wesley Clark and Los Angeles’ first Hispanic mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, were also on hand.
Not surprisingly, the messages — coordinated and poll-tested — felt comforting: The United States must deal with global warming, and we can do it by breaking our dependence on foreign oil, becoming more energy efficient and creating jobs.
Summit organizers also scored a return appearance by conservative oil baron T. Boone Pickens, who advocates for wind power. He reiterated a plan to use natural gas for transit; a well-timed CAP report released Monday proposed the same. That angle would help the summit appear to be centrist because natural gas is neither renewable nor carbon-free, though it is cleaner than coal.
Sen. Marie Cantwell, D-Wash., welcomed Pickens this way: “When you have an oil man from Texas say you have to get off oil, I don’t think you need any bigger mission statement than that ... If America doesn’t understand that, I don’t know how you can say it ... and by the way, we delight in your accent, it adds a little pizazz.”
Her message: If a die-hard oil man has accepted the need for a new energy future, it must make sense.
The conference focused on the need for energy legislation this fall to reduce carbon emissions and move away from foreign oil. As Gore put it: “The key challenge is going to be this fall in the United States Senate, and everybody here can make a difference.”
But there was also a thinly veiled subtext: Reelect Harry Reid.
Speaker after speaker sung Reid’s praises and nearly all of them described him as “my good friend.”
Then there were Pickens’ remarks to Reid. “I never had anybody in Washington respond to me like you did. It was two Americans talking about something that has nothing to do with politics,” he said, belying the political reality of Monday’s event.
The event may have been transparently political, but that’s no comfort to Republicans left without much of a voice on energy, just as Democrats long struggled to find credible voices on national security.
Oil prices climbed significantly while two Republican oil men occupied the executive branch for eight years. At the moment, Republicans don’t have a policy apparatus equivalent to the Center for American Progress that would help craft new energy ideas, or major figures like Gore and Clinton to drive it home. Perhaps that’s why as support for Obama and the Democrats has waned since his inauguration, there hasn’t been much attendant uptick for Republicans.
They can take hope, however, in a newly energized base. Though outnumbered by progressive demonstrators holding clean energy signs, conservative activists withstood the heat Monday at UNLV and warned America of the coming increase in energy prices and taxes if the Democrats have their way.
Malcolm Petrie (in cowboy hat) joins clean energy supporters outside the National Clean Energy Summit 2.0 in Las Vegas on Monday.
Shawn Moshos, a union carpenter and Ron Paul delegate to the Nevada state Republican Convention last year, said he was protesting policies that he believes will edge America toward socialism. “This is about controlling America’s prosperity, when we should be in charge of our prosperity,” he said. Recently passed House legislation that would limit carbon emissions by instituting a system for trading and selling emissions credits would destroy more jobs than it would create, he charged.
Reid understands as well as anyone that just as Democrats were once a flagging ship of losers, so they can be again if they don’t produce results.
At the afternoon town hall event, he praised his party for its legislative achievements this year but added, “Until we do something about health care and about energy, we are probably not going to have the pats on the back that are necessary.”
Necessary for reelection, that is.
Sun reporter Alexandra Berzon contributed to this story.
What a surprise Too Big to Fail Harry Reid'm and Weep with $25 million is running scared with no competition
Harry is inept
His claim to stop Yucca is for the 2011 budget cycle - they have the money they need for this year and next year 2010 to continue the NRC review of the LA
Reid is not all bad.
He helped Bush get the Iraq War Resolution passed.
He helped get FISA passed.
He did not pushed for investigations of the Bush adminstration then or now.
He did not get in the way of Bush appointing top flight people to the Supreme Court and other Federal Courts.
He released a letter that was to a voter and it said that he was always against gay marriage and was going to vote for the Nevada Gay Marriage Ban. That probably helped and encouraged follow Democrats to vote for the ban and it passed with a nice margin.
Although, Nevada is near the bottom of getting back Federal taxpayer money to the state especially Fed dollars for k-12 and in the stimulus bill Nevada again was the near the bottom, Reid does some good.
We should also overlook the fact that he has family members that pull in mega bucks for lobbying firms in DC. His family members are just trying to earn a decent living.
We should fairly judge his actions both good and bad. He needs to be treated fairly. Although he has a $25 million war chest to convince voters that he has done a good job, he is struggling in the eyes of the voters. He has a lower job approval rating than Ensign and when voters are polled to choose Mr/Mrs. Nobody vs. Reid they are chosing Nobody.
Remember Reid has done some good.
He helped Bush.
He helped conservatives by getting great judges appointed to life long positions of power.
He helped get the Nevada Gay Marriage Ban passed.
The question is not Harry's job but where OUR jobs went!
Oh jeez, "the usual suspects" are out whining again! They know their golden boy Johnny Casino isn't looking so hot and can't run for President in 2012. In fact, he probably won't even win reelection here. They know the Nevada GOP is in complete disarray. And now they can't find a big name candidate to take out Harry Reid next year.
Poor, poor Republicans. They spent the last 8 years throwing this country in a ditch, and now they're throwing a fit because they don't like how Democrats are getting us out of the ditch.
Don't worry about the pretend green headlines. harry Reid never disappoints, he will show his colors many times between now and the next election.
The goal of having father and son run Carson City and Washington D.C. will fall apart as the rest of the land frauds become known along with the deals for cash in the coming elections.
Nevada has got to be embarrassed to have this IDIOT represent them. He truly is a JOKE!
"Then there were Pickens' remarks to Reid. "I never had anybody in Washington respond to me like you did. It was two Americans talking about something that has nothing to do with politics," he said, belying the political reality of Monday's event."
This should tell people that the democracks are rewarding polluters. Pickens is still talking oil. Duke Energy, Sempra (building solar panels near Boulder City) are both mainly coal companies,but they get serious tax breaks if they build a few token wind farms and solar farms. Duke wants the wind farm in Searchlight. If they build it by 2010, they get a 30 percent Federal grant and they get a very good series of tax breaks on their coal (global warming) plants as well. And Duke produces 95 percent of their energy from coal. Well, afterall, they did write a big part of the Cap and Trade bill!
If you invest in this green energy scam, you are investing in fossil fuels. Look it up. Your democratic leaders are laughing at you...after they take your money! If you invest in these green energy bottom feeders, you invest in global warming. The lie is right in your face here...
oh thumper thunper thumper...
another poor poor terribly misguided republican clown...
there just are so damn many of you clowns in this town...
can't debate...
total wimps...
little girly children who go running to others to fix their boo boos...
you go running to the editorial board...
johnnie boy ensign goes running to mommy and daddy...
it's pathetic...
absolutely pathetic...
my posts are brilliant...
absolutely brilliant...
and in case you haven't noticed...
i have a little fan club forming...
got that skippy!!!
A VERY OUTSPOKEN GOAL OF LAS VEGAS SUN:
RE-ELECT HARRY REID.
Have you no limit on pimping all things Harry?
First, Governor Grant Sawyer used to say politics and policy are inseparable. If you don't win elections, you have no chance of making the policies you want to make. If you want to make policy, the best way to do it is to get into office, which you do by ... winning elections! Wow. What a concept. So whether it's Democrats or Republicans doing it, it's all of a piece.
Second, as to the anti-Reid comments above, I wish the R-J publisher, editor, and editorial writers would stick to their own site and go back into their caves and keep trying to invent fire.
As I recall, when Bush Cheney took over the reins of power their Energy Policy meetings were not held in public, in fact public was barred. Only the big oil and coal companines were included in making energy policy. This wholley protected the interests of Bush Cheney and their future earnings and did not benefit the American public, it sent us into the crisis we have now.
How audacious of Reid. This guy could not be more blatant about the fact his number one goal is re-election for office that's up in over a year. To heck with what Nevada wants or needs, but re-elect Reid. If this man was so good he'd easily win on merits alone, instead it's going to be a year of campaigning.
judy,
I know several people that tried to purchase tickets to this event. They were unavailable.
I'd like to know exactly who the public was that attended, and how tickets were purchased by the public.
Such a total joke!
Al Gore's mansion consumes more electricity in a month the the average American household does in an entire year.
Not only that but natural gas bills for his mansion and guest house average $1080 per month.
Keep drinking the kool aid fools.
henderson.....
Do you have a link or two that validates your anti-Gore remarks or is that just something that you pulled out of a part of your lower anatomy?
Link or two or close that thing that you put food in......
Your rants are just that....RANTS!
Harry doesn't look well.
Thumper.....
The ole saying goes that people who live in a glass house should never throw rocks.....that is advice that you should heed....
You give Birdie all kinds of crap for what he says and then you do the exact same thing....
Grow-up or quit posting! Harry Truman said it best...."if the heat is too hot, get out of the kitchen...." Good advice for you.
Quit expecting someone else to do your dirty work for you....
Here you are El Lobo, bipartisan link:
http://www.diggersrealm.com/mt/archives/...
lobita: Bubba doesn't look well either.
"Al Gore's mansion consumes more electricity in a month the the average American household does in an entire year.
Not only that but natural gas bills for his mansion and guest house average $1080 per month."
Even though this issue has become a political football being kicked back and fourth by the two parties of corruption, it has never been disprovcen by the liberal side.
The big question is why does Gore pollute the air with his vast use of fossil fuels? Does he really even car about climate change?
The answer proven by his actions is obviously no...
Why were Al Gore's employees in North Korea. Why is the United STates now willing for one on one talks with North Korea instead of only 6 poarty talks like in the days before the girls came home?
What has Al Gore gotten us into
I am a Birdie fan.
hey sgtrock...
atta boy...
some people just can't take the heat...
they have to go running to others to fight their battles...
sad...
truly sad...
i have a new found respect for you my friend...
but...
don't take this the wrong way...
next time we disagree...
i am still gonna punch in the mouth...
and...
i am sure you will punch me in the mouth right back...
isn't that the fun part!!!
I am a Birdie fan because he is an excellent representative of the lib Democrat left.
Keep up the good work.
It would be appreciated if you could walk around town with a t-shirt that says, "Me Democrat" and talk like you post.
You are doing a great service to the Democratic Party.
ohhh private pebble...
you sly dog...
you got me...
tell you what...
only if you wear one that says...
"i am a poor poor terribly misguided republican clown"...
deal???
by the way...
did you clean all of your guns today???
At what point does a newspaper go from reporting the news to outright campaigning for politicians?
I wonder what Hank would think of the fact his newspaper has become nothing more than a collection of planted editorials and commentaries disguised as news articles.
I think I just got censored for calling El Lobo El Lazy!
I told him it wouldn't matter if it were true about Al Gore because the kool aid just tastes too good to him.
Which of these remarks do you suppose got me censored?
New government numbers < this government > the Obama administration numbers on global warming.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009...
For crying out loud, in December I had over 6" of snow in my yard that took 5 days to melt!
Yes, henderson, that's what's meant by "severe weather." Duh!
Planet Earth has always experienced severe weather conditions. It is only lately that it has been affected by the hot air and methane emanating from Liberals.
The biggest polluter is government so to reduce global warning, REDUCE the size of government!
ynotjohn,
Are you saying you don't like the fact that the U.S. now has more czars than Imperial Russia had in 300 years?
Czars that are wholly unaccountable to Congress yet tasked with spearheading major policy efforts for the White House?
I don't like that either.
Let's acquire the input of a representative cross-section of the community in a non-threatening, inclusive environment. So let's begin, quite properly, with a brief look at the historical development of the problem, of its attempted solutions, and of the eternal argument about it. Of perhaps even more concern is that if you were to try to tell Sen. Harry Reid's co-conspirators that the claim that he knows the "right" way to read Plato, Maimonides, and Machiavelli is undeniably illusory, they'd close their eyes and put their hands over their ears. They are, as the psychologists say, in denial. They don't want to hear that if you've read this far then you probably either agree with me or are on the way to agreeing with me.
Lest I seem like a hypocrite, I should tell you that I frequently talk about how Harry's consistent lack of regard for others will abandon me on a desert island faster than you can say "proconstitutionalism". I would drop the subject except that if he thinks that he can make me dig my own grave and pay for the shovel then he's barking up the wrong tree. Please don't misinterpret that last statement to mean that advertising is the most veridical form of human communication. That's not at all what it means. Rather, it means that Harry speaks like a true defender of the status quo--a status quo, we should not forget, that enables him to seek vengeance on those unrepentant souls who persist in challenging his positions. Strictly speaking, I can't follow his pretzel logic. I do, however, know that we must understand that the more we give Harry, the more he wants. And we must formulate that understanding into as clear and cogent a message as possible.
Is Harry good for the country? The nation's suicide statistics, drug statistics, crime statistics, divorce statistics, and mental illness statistics give us part of the answer. These statistics should make it clear that his allies are unified under a common goal. That goal is to produce precisely the alienation and conflict needed to resolve a moral failure with an immoral solution. It takes more than a mass of deceitful scroungers to oppose Harry and all he stands for.
It takes a great many thoughtful and semi-thoughtful people who are willing to reveal the nature and activity of Harry's bootlickers and expose their inner contexts as well as their ultimate final aims. The fact of the matter is that if my memory serves me correctly, he is extraordinarily brazen. We've all known that for a long time.I know very few featherbrained administrators personally but I know them well enough to surmise that Harry knows how to lie. It's too bad he doesn't yet understand the ramifications of lying
Harry thinks that most people believe everything he says is totally true. Really? Does Harry have some sort of mind-reading ability? That's not a rhetorical question. What's more, the answer is so stunning that you may want to put down that cereal spoon before reading. You see, I can't understand why Harry has to be so bad-tempered and intolerant of the American people. Maybe Bush has taken up residence inside Harry's head and is making him make us less united, less moral, less sensitive, less engaged, and now with the Town Hall protests, more perversely lawless.
Our goal must now be to make efforts directed towards broad, social/political change. If you believe that's a worthwhile goal, then I can certainly use your help. Remember, if they are socialist in their agenda, then the chances are they just might be a closet communist!
Harry Reid. Bad for America, bad for Nevada.
Amen to that Reverend!
"and now the great genie", everybody can see through the horse and pony show. Mr. Reid still does not understand everyday Nevadan's. Who can afford 150.00 dollars for tickets to the energy summit.....in this economy...Mr. Reid still does not get it....
the comment on Al Gore's mansion was right on point.
I, for one, am sick and tired of not only Gore's endless diatribe, but the constant lecturing and posturing of the ultra-liberal hollywood elite.
these rich hollywood actors, actresses, film and music stars that live in their 10,000 sq. foot supposedly "green" houses. houses that they built by buying 2 adjacent lots, razing 2 perfectly good houses to the ground, and THEN building their multi-million dollar palaces. these same stars that are shuttled around in stretch Limos and tour buses, and fly around the world on private jets.
and they tell me I should lower MY carbon footprint.
just another take on "do as I say, not as I do"
kind of like the democrat congress' refusal to agree to give up their OWN health care and fall under the auspices of the healthcare "reform" they are trying to foist on the rest of us.